Swedish helmer Malik
Bendjelloul films for the most part an endearing
documentary about mystery Bob Dylan-like singer Sixto
Rodriguez, who released two albums in the early 1970s
(‘Cold Fact’ and
‘Coming from Reality’) that never sold
in the United States but unknown to him became a smash
hit in Apartheid South Africa in the 1970s with the
whites because of his anti-establishment lyrics. He
sold more records than Elvis in South Africa. The
title is taken from Rodriguez's 1970 song
about a drug dealer, "Sugar Man."

Rodriguez's
most devoted fans, such as Cape Town record store
owner Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, try to
track him down, but have no luck. Building on the mood
of a mystery story, the fans in South Africa hear
their idol killed himself onstage. After the half-way
mark we learn that poet/philosopher/street
personRodriguez is still alive in 1998, has
three grown daughters, lives in Detroit as a
construction worker and is still unknown in his home
country. The contact made with the friendly South
Africans pursuing him enables Rodriguez and
his 3 daughters (no mention of wife) to be flown to
Cape Town, where to great cheers he performs in four
sold-out concerts. Though now discovered, the
bland and humble Rodriguez still fails to catch on in
the States even though he's a cult figure in South
Africa. The legendary figure in South Africa, to
support himself, returns to his construction job and
modest lifestyle in inner-city Detroit, which leaves a
sad note since his music has some heft and it seems
unjust that he's ignored while lesser talents are
celebrated.

The
conventional film has its fair-share of talking heads,
animated sequences and archive footage. It plays a few
of the noteworthy tracks such as the title song "Sugar
Man," "I Wonder," "Inner City Blues" and "A
Most Disgusting Song." In a pleasing but
superficial way it leaves an aura of mystery around
the 70+ still unknown urban singing legend.
Though it's explained that white middle-class South
Africans embraced the dark-skinned Mexican and his
music because it was the safest way to protest its
country's segregation policy, the film never digs
deeper than that to explain the sincere love affair
between the Hispanic working-class singer and his
middle-class white followers.